


Changing Fate

by sleepismyfriend



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-02
Updated: 2011-08-02
Packaged: 2017-10-22 02:52:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/232958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepismyfriend/pseuds/sleepismyfriend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, the Doctor knows precisely where to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changing Fate

"Ace, stop dilly-dallying." The Doctor glanced back, but remained ahead of his companion. He had said very little since exiting the TARDIS into the English countryside, leaving Ace no choice but to follow behind with his umbrella.

"You haven't said what we're doing here, Professor," Ace replied, climbing through the tall grasses of the field, the warm air making her wish she had left her jacket in the TARDIS. "Not even a hint."

"Of course not. There isn't time. We have to keep moving." The Doctor eyed the oncoming hill in front of them. Smoke billowed up towards the sky, and the murmurs of destruction increased in volume. If he had predicted right and the TARDIS had cooperated, trouble was just ahead.

Ace scrunched her nose, smelling the smoke as the Doctor climbed up and over the hill. It wasn't until Ace got to the top herself that she saw why the Doctor had been in such a hurry.

An afternoon train had derailed into several pieces across the track.

"Blimey—" Ace noted the chaos. Detectives and firemen crawled everywhere as emergency crews with ambulances pulled both people and bodies from the wreckage, and used hoses to put out the flames. From what Ace could tell, the casualties were heavy.

The Doctor pulled a compass from his pocket, or what Ace thought looked like a compass at any rate. He opened it, twisted its face and tested it in several directions before finding the one he was looking for. He headed to the left, towards where the last railcar of the train was on its side, nearly decimated. Ace jogged to catch up, tossing down the umbrella once she reached the Doctor, who had climbed up a significant pile of wreckage looking for an inlet.

"Sarah—" The Doctor shouted, struggling to find footing against the bottom of the railcar while sticking his head in through a spare window. "Sarah Jane, can you hear me?"

Ace didn't hear any kind of response, though she tried to process everything that was happening at once. Obviously, the Doctor had brought her with him while he tried to save someone he knew named Sarah, but she didn't understand the whys or hows of it. She stood and waited for him to give her instructions, but when he didn't, she turned to look for someone that could help.

"Excuse me, miss," a young blonde fireman said, approaching Ace. "Need some help?"

"The Professor's looking for someone. Someone named Sarah." Ace's eyes squinted as she looked up to the fireman, who was always standing in the direction of sunlight.

"No one out here by that name, I'm afraid. We pulled all the survivors we could from that railcar first. Sorry." The fireman shrugged as Ace grew agitated.

"Some help you are." Ace muttered under her breath as he walked away, turning her attention back to the Doctor as he turned and motioned for her to come over. She came up to his side, not wanting to relay what the fireman said. It would only make the Doctor more upset than he already appeared to be. "What's up, Professor?"

"These railcars are so narrow nowadays. It's possible Sarah's underneath a seat or something. I can't see anything." He stepped down from where he had been standing, drumming his finger along his chin. "But how do I get to her?"

"What if I try and squeeze through? I'm small enough. Definitely more agile than you. Maybe I can push stuff out of the way or something." Ace had plenty of experience at going in and out of windows, though she didn’t quite know what she would find once she was inside. The Doctor looked at her, debating whether or not squeezing her inside was such a great plan after all.

"Alright, Ace." He placed one hand on his shoulder, giving his approval, before turning towards the railcar and motioning with his head. "In you go."

Ace climbed up the side of the wrecked compartment. She took off her coat of patches and threw it down to the Doctor who deftly caught it. In only her basic striped tank top and dark leggings, she would have little to get caught on the demolished insides of the railcar. It also made her thankful she’d braided her hair tight that morning. It wouldn’t do to get her hair caught on a piece of debris.

"Her name's Sarah Jane," the Doctor said, still holding Ace's coat, and Ace nodded. She had already figured out that much. She went in legs first, avoiding the obstacles of seats as she braced her weight on her arms. Once Ace was inside, the Doctor's head appeared in the window, looking down on her.

"See anything?"

"Professor—" Ace started to look up and tell him what the fireman had said, but thought better of it and tried to manoeuvre her way around instead. Glass crunched under her feet, but knowing nothing would get through the soles of her boots, Ace continued looking. "There's a lot of things in my way. Are you sure your friend is in here?"

"Positive." The Doctor's worry was becoming increasingly evident as he tipped his hat back on his head and remained focused on watching Ace.

It was towards the front of the car that Ace saw a thin white arm with its wrist bent at a strange angle, and somehow knew that was the woman she was looking for. Ace bit her lip, climbing over one loose seat and pushing her way past two more. It was trickier getting to the woman than she expected, which was probably half the reason the firemen hadn't bothered.

"What about now?" She could hear the Doctor behind her, growing more impatient by the minute. Ace got to where the arm was, finally seeing the woman it belonged to slumped in her seat. Ace put her fingers against the pulse point in the woman's wrist and waited. Good. The fireman had been wrong. There was a pulse. Weak, but still there.

"I think I've found her." Ace shouted, bending Sarah's arm in at a little less obscure angle. "But she looks strapped in."

Ace didn't hear what the Doctor said next, as she crouched down in the narrow space between the seat and the roof of the railcar to Sarah's level. Sarah was light-skinned, mid forties with medium length dark hair. Blood trickled down one side of her face as Ace tried to evaluate her wounds, and she remained unconscious.

"Sarah Jane? Sarah Jane, can you hear me?" Ace tried her best not to let her voice crack as she repeated the Doctor's words, pushing Sarah's hair back with one hand to see her face and touching some of her blood in the process. There was no response.

Ace looked to see what was holding Sarah in order to pull her free. The Doctor had stopped talking, but Ace wasn't worried. She merely took a deep breath and refocused her attention on Sarah.

"It's obvious you're someone important to him." Ace sighed. "We just have to get you out of here."

Realising that Sarah wasn't strapped in like she had originally thought, Ace moved behind Sarah's seat. She leaned forward, placing her hands under Sarah's arms. The first attempt to pull Sarah free wasn't successful. It was obvious the angle was awkward and the seat in front of Sarah had pinned her legs. However, Ace tried again. The second attempt gave her some leverage as Sarah moved ever so slightly.

"Right, gonna need a bit more help then," Ace said. After a second, Ace heard a rather unique buzzing coming from beyond the metal roofing closest to her. She assumed it was the Doctor.

The buzzing stopped, and Ace heard two knocks against the metal roof.

"Ace, my old sonic isn't working. I'm going to get help," the Doctor said. "Be right back."

"As if there's anywhere I can possibly go," Ace replied to herself. She sat back and waited as the Doctor scurried towards the blonde fireman that Ace had spoken to before. There were only a few words exchanged as the fireman mobilized several other men and some tools, the Doctor leading the charge.

Meanwhile, Ace heard movement from in front of her, and leaned forward to see Sarah's eyes fluttering up and down. Ace's expression changed, an almost smile of relief crossing her lips. She wouldn't have to tell the Doctor what the fireman had said after all.

"Hold tight, Sarah Jane. The Professor's gone to get help. We'll be out of here in no time."

"You—know my name." Sarah licked her lips, her ability to articulate words not very strong. She tried to look up at Ace, only to feel dizzy and close her eyes once again.

"Yes," Ace smiled. "I'm Ace, by the way."

"What—happened?"

"I'm afraid I don't know." Ace leaned on the back of Sarah's seat. "The Professor does though. When we landed, he went running from the TARDIS because he knew you were here, alive."

"Right, okay." A single tear fell down Sarah's cheek as her eyes opened. She reached down to touch her right leg. "I think my leg is broken."

Ace could hear the Doctor outside shouting at the firemen, the sound muted by the metal roof in between them. She then heard another one of those large knocks near her head.

"Ace, they're going to use some type of hydraulic rescue device. It'll only be a moment and we'll pull both you and Sarah free." At the sound of the Doctor's voice, Ace heard Sarah's whimper. "Is Sarah alright?"

"There's quite a bit of blood, but I think so. Her leg is broken." Ace didn't have to see the Doctor to know that his forehead was leaning against the railcar. She put her palm up against the roof as if her palm was touching the same spot as his forehead. "Hurry, Professor."

"You heard the girl. Get moving." Hearing him pull away, Ace smiled as outside, the firemen began cutting away at the roof of the railcar. Ace leaned forward to protect Sarah as the sparks began flying. The Doctor stopped the firemen. "No no no, we need a big square. How small do you think two women are? Bigger, I say."

The firemen began cutting a larger square than the one they had started on.

"He's sounds—so different," Sarah said, focusing on the sound of the Doctor's voice and comparing it against when she had seen him last in the Death Zone. This particular voice didn't seem to match any of the multiple incarnations of him she knew.

From the outline of the square, Ace could see the firemen were almost to them, and knew there was nothing she could do now but wait. She sat down, careful of the glass and pulled her knees to her, looking towards the back of Sarah's seat.

"You've travelled with him then? The Professor?"

"Once or twice." She heard Sarah's sigh. "Long time ago."

"Obviously, he remembered you though, or he wouldn't have dropped everything to try and save you from this." Ace finished her sentence as the large square in front of her and Sarah was removed. The blonde fireman came into view, holding out his hand for Ace as the Doctor stood back.

Ace climbed out of the car, and turned to see the firemen reaching for Sarah. Sarah held her limp arms up, but when they tried to hoist her out, she screamed in pain.

"You fools. You're hurting her." The Doctor pushed the firemen out of the way and bent down to the ground with his arms open. He moved the seat pining Sarah's legs out of the way as he shouted to Ace. "Ace, come hold this seat while I lift her out."

Ace did as she was instructed, switching places with the Doctor to hold the seat as he reached for Sarah. He was gentle, carefully lifting her out one limb at a time while trying to accommodate for her injuries. Once her legs were released and she was free of the railcar, Sarah groaned, but the Doctor moved quickly. He pulled Sarah up and to his chest, never really leaving the ground.

"Thanks boys." Ace stood and hit one of the firemen's shoulders with her fist. "But, I think we can take it from here."

"Suit yourself," one said. They all turned and walked away.

While she knew someone should look at Sarah's leg, Ace wanted to give the Doctor and Sarah a moment to themselves before reality entered the picture. So, she took a few steps away with the firemen before turning back, crossing her arms and leaning to one side.

Sarah lay half-propped in the Doctor's lap, her left hand across her stomach as her right reached up to touch his face. The Doctor shuddered. He had forgotten how light Sarah's touch could be.

"This doesn't look so bad." He inspected her head wound, careful not to spread the stream of blood, but checking for glass. "More than likely artificial and therefore, fixable. The leg on the other hand—"

"Tell me I'm not dreaming." Tears had fallen down her face, and the Doctor's thumb lowered to trace them away.

"You're not dreaming, Sarah." Ace had never heard the Doctor's voice drop so soft or be as loving before. Sarah started crying again, and the Doctor rested his head on top of hers, one hand caressing her cheek. "Sssh, it's alright, I've got you. You're safe now."

The Doctor's lips touched Sarah's forehead, yet he tried not to linger.

Feeling very much the outsider, Ace turned and saw her coat and his umbrella lying on the ground nearby. She picked both up, holding the umbrella tight while slinging the coat over one shoulder. That's when she heard her name. "Ace—over here. I need your assistance."

"Of course, just name it, Professor." Ace cleared her throat and tried to ignore the fact that his head hadn't moved from atop Sarah's.

"We need a discrete exit towards the TARDIS." The Doctor knew Sarah either needed the Zero Room or medical science to prevail in her favour. However, he didn't like the idea of trusting her with strangers. He fiddled in his coat pocket for the sonic he had dug out earlier. Despite the handle being a little worn, he knew Ace could handle being entrusted with the responsibility. "I've already calibrated it. If necessary, use discreetly."

"Ace!" Ace pumped her fist once she had the sonic in her hands. The Doctor shifted, one arm going under Sarah's knees. He straightened up before walked around the far side railcar, away from the chaos.

"She's quite a girl, your Ace." Sarah sighed, raising her eyes as she nestled against the Doctor's chest. "Not that I'm complaining."

The Doctor looked down, smiling. "You really have no idea."


End file.
